Agricultural Production Systems

Starter

Do the following images show a farming INPUT, PROCESS or OUTPUT?

• To summarise key information and describe the different agricultural production systems.

• To apply the systems model theory to farming examples.

Learning objectives

Agriculture is a system with inputs, processes and outputs.

The farming system

The following system model can be applied to all types of farming, regardless of scale or location.

Physical TemperaturePrecipitation

ReliefType of soilDrainage

Cultural Tenure

InheritanceFarm size

Economic TransportMarkets

TechnologyGovernments

CapitalLabour

Behavioural Age

AmbitionKnowledgeExperiencePerception

INPUTS PROCESSES OUTPUTS

Decision-making

Individual farmers

Groups of farmersThe state

MethodsPloughingPlantingSpraying

HarvestingFeedingMilking

Breeding

Crops (e.g. wheat, sugar beet)

Animal products (e.g. meat, milk,

wool)

Outputs exceeds inputs =

profit and wealth

Income from outputs

equals cost of inputs = stability

Outputs less than inputs = loss and

poverty

Most important in areas where agriculture is less developed

Your task is to gather information on each type of farming.

Make bullet point notes of the key information on your recording sheet.

Activity: Information hunt

• Agricultural production can be classified into seven systems.

• These classifications clearly show the contrasts in different types of farming.

Your task is to create a systems diagram for each of the case studies, to show how food is produced.

Your diagram should display the inputs, processes and outputs that are suggested by the text.

Activity: Systems diagrams

Read the three case studies on pages 214-215 in AQA AS Geography:

• Soy farming in Argentina

• Land reform (cattle farming) in Botswana

• Commercial farming in HIC’s

Growing enough to feed a household or community

Plenary

Subsistence farming

Intensive farming

Arable farming

Rearing animals

Livestock farming

Growing produce for sale

Commercial farming

Maximising return from land using high inputs of labour,

capital, machinery and fertiliser

Low inputs of labour and capital on a large scale

Extensive farming

Growing crops and rearing animals

Mixed farming